The Rose
by Lisa-Luna Driscoll
Summary: What happens when an unextraordinary Ravenclaw boy meets a firey Gryffindor girl and falls head-over-heels in love?
1. Chapter 1

Atlas Alexander Argall was a hatstall.

That was how he defined himself: versatile, with the type of fluidity necessary to blend into any scene. And that's exactly what he did. He was nowhere near extraordinary, and the closest he'd ever come to defining himself amongst a sea of other students was learning how to play the piano at a rather young age. And even that wasn't much of an accomplishment, as it seemed that almost every other Ravenclaw student had done just the same.

The Sorting Hat had taken an unusually long time to place Atlas in the right House. It had floundered at the beginning, especially, not being able to scope out any bold traits that would have landed him in any of the four Houses. He was cunning, but not extremely ambitious, he was hard-working, but not overly friendly, he had a twinge of courage, but was rarely ever brazen enough to use it.

And so, the Hat took note of his above-average intellect and slightly off-beat nature and placed him in Ravenclaw. He had no complaints, he was proud to represent the good 'ole blue and bronze whenever he could. But, as far as Ravenclaws went, he wasn't overly smart _or_ strange, and he, like he always had, blended into the background.

That is, until Robin, Carol and Thomas took him by the collar and plopped him right in the center of their calamitous shenanigans.

Robin and Carol Brighton were twins, Gryffindors and, despite what some people thought upon glancing at their names, boys. Both had incredibly messy brown hair and impossibly ocean-blue eyes. The only way to distinguish one from the other, if you hadn't known them long enough, was that Carol had a small birth mark under his left eye, which he had a habit of scratching at if he was bored or nervous. While both gentlemen tended to be raucous jokesters, Robin was definitely the louder of the two, usually depending on his slightly gentler brother to calm him down when he got riled up.

Thomas Beech, on the other hand, was only just less quiet than a mouse. He had dark hair and eyes, and could almost always be seen with an amused smile on his face. Thomas was extremely loyal to the twins (no matter what trouble they tended to get themselves in), so it was no surprise that he was a Hufflepuff, where loyalty and good morals were valued above test scores or bloodlines.

It was during their second year at Hogwarts that the Troublesome Trio became a quartet, taking in Atlas as if he were a stray puppy. At the time, they were trying to get a band started. Partially because of an affinity for music, but mostly because they thought it would look cool.

Unfortunately, none of them had anticipated actually having to write music or lyrics. That's where Atlas came in. As long as he wasn't speaking them, Atlas had a way with words that was utterly unprecedented, and the fact that he could write music for any instrument, not just the piano, was a major plus. The original trio hadn't intended for him to become a facet of their image, but they quickly grew accustomed to him being around; the way his blond hair fell over his face when he was concentrating (giving them the opportunity to strike him with an onslaught of paper balls while he couldn't see), the gesture of him taking off his glasses to rub at his sky-blue eyes when he was frustrated (giving them yet another opportunity: to swipe his spectacles from him and, ultimately, get him laughing to the point where he was no longer so exasperated), and the fact that he'd long ago learned that correcting their grammatical errors was only going to get him a chorus of chuckling and a joking punch to the arm. He'd grown accustomed to them just as they had to him, and soon there were no longer memories of a time when the Quartet didn't exist.

And, for once in his life, Atlas couldn't blend in if he tried. He was always spotted in a crowd, now, as a friend of the twins' (who had created quite the humorous reputation for themselves, as it would appear. Some professors, mostly the elders, even went as far as to compare them to another iconic duo. But why they said so in worried whispers was a mystery) and not as 'just another Ravenclaw.' He'd even begun making a sort of name for himself. Albeit, it wasn't near as interesting as being known for glorious pranks and jokes, his professors had begun singling his schoolwork out as extremely impressive due to his writing skills. He couldn't have been happier with the way things were going.

Until the day he was pricked by a fiery, Irish rose. After that, things would never,_ could_ never be the same for him, or the rest of the Quartet, for that matter. Because if there's one thing you remember as much as your own first love, it's the first love of your best friend.


	2. Chapter 2

After the war, Headmistress McGonagall decided it would be best for Slytherins and Gryffindors to have as few classes together as possible. Thus, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws shared Herbology class, despite the fact that any minor spats over who had the best method for removing Mandrakes from their pots usually turned into heated arguments, often ending in Professor Longbottom having to step in and break up the fight.

Atlas and the twins were working together on retrieving one of Carol's textbooks from a particularly stubborn Devil's Snare, the other students still working on their assignments and the professor feverishly grading the previous day's test. Robin had fired just about every spell he knew at the plant before Carol managed to calm him down and let Atlas have a go.

He chuckled and pointed his wand at the Snare, "Lumos."

The plant recoiled into its pot, dropping the book back onto the table. "Blimey, Trip, was I sleeping when we learned about that?" said Robin, handing the book over to his brother.

Trip was a shortened version of 'Triple A,' the stage name that Robin and Carol had chosen for Atlas after finding a similarly named muggle device in Thomas's attic one summer. Thomas's father was a muggle, and had brought a slew of strange devices along with him when he and his new wife, a witch, had moved into an area more friendly to wizarding folk than their previous residence. One of these contraptions was called a 'remote control' car, and Thomas and his father had disassembled it to show Atlas and the twins the various parts that made its tiny wheels turn. Two small, cylindrical objects were the car's power source, and had three A's printed on them. Mr. Beech had called them triple A scatteries (or was it vatteries? No one could quite remember, and when they asked Thomas about it he only laughed) and, because his initials were AAA, the twins had decided that Triple A was a perfect stage name for Atlas.

"We learned about Devil's Snare in first year!" Atlas laughed, "Don't you remember?"

"Oh…oh, yeah! 'Deadly fun, but will sulk in the sun!' I remember now. God, how did we forget that?" Carol asked his brother, who only shrugged, a lopsided smile forming on his face.

Robin's stage name was Wingman (due to being named after a bird), Thomas was Mouse (due to his previously stated quiet nature), and Carol, through a long, convoluted process that the other three members of the Quartet barely ever remembered, was named Crosshatch. Atlas never understood why the silly names were necessary, but had no complaints. Unfortunately, they had yet to choose a real name for their band, and usually resolved to just call themselves The Quartet when other students asked about the group. It wasn't a particularly memorable name, but it would do for the time being.

"Hey, by the way, Atlas, Carol and I need you to help us with our Potions essays," Robin said, "Think you're up to it?"

"Yeah, sure, when do you guys figure we can get together?" It was difficult for the Quartet to meet up during the week, as they never had classes as a group. Most of their time together was during the weekends or the rare study period when the twins didn't have detention and Atlas wasn't working on an extra credit project. Unfortunately, the essays were due only a week from now, and a trip to Hogsmeade was scheduled for Sunday. The twins had never been known to do any type of work on a Saturday, so that was also out of the question.

"Well," Carol said, mischievously, "we've got a puzzle for you."

"What does that have to do wi-?"

"Just trust us," Said Robin, "We figure that we can get you into the Gryffindor commons, but only if you can figure out the password so the Fat Lady'll let you through."

"Listen, guys, I don't think that's such a good-"

"Hey, aren't you a Ravenclaw? Wit and measure and all that?" said Carol, "You should be jumping at the opportunity for a riddle." The twins both smiled slyly at Atlas.

He sighed, "Alright, but if this gets us in trouble," Atlas said, pointing at the Devil's snare, which had unfurled its tendrils, "Next time, it won't just be your books in there."

The boys all laughed, and the twins whispered their homemade riddle into Atlas's ear before all of the students scurried off to their next classes.


	3. Chapter 3

Atlas was sneaking through the corridors of the school after dinner in the Great Hall. He'd finished eating especially early, wanting to get into the Gryffindor common room before any other students would be there to notice him. The twins promised that they'd finish early as well, but both of them seemed to have gotten distracted by a particularly seductive tart, and neither were anywhere in sight. Atlas waited for them, staring up at the Fat Lady (who appeared to be in a deep post-feast slumber, complete with snoring and a tiny bit of drool dribbling down her cheek) for a good ten minutes before deciding to go in on his own.

"Um…h-hello?" he said, with a tiny cough. The woman in the portrait may have heard him, as she sputtered a bit before twisting and turning over onto her other side, but was soon back to snoring as loudly as she had been before.

Atlas sighed, not wanting to wake the Fat Lady up too forcefully. After all, it was her decision whether or not he got to enter the common room, so he wanted to stay on her good side. He looked around, wondering if there was any way to wake up the woman without upsetting her. He spied a few feathers on the windowsill, probably left behind by one of the students' owls.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he whispered, levitating the small heap of feathers into the air towards the painting. With sharp, sweeping motions, he brushed the feathers gently across the Fat Lady's waist. She began to fidget, her twitching getting more violent by the moment, finally waking in a burst of both laughter and surprise. She looked around, panting, before spotting Atlas, his wand still poised in the air.

"Who-What-Who _are_ you?" She sputtered.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, ma'am," Atlas said, quickly trying to sedate her anger, "But I need to get into the common room, p-please."

She leaned forward, scrutinizing him. "You…you're not a Gryffindor! What do you think you're doing! I can't-!"

"Iknowiknowiknow!" he said, his levels of worry beginning to rise well beyond his own comfort. "But-but I was entrusted with the password_ by_ Gryffindors- two of them- and-"

"Well, then, what is it? _Maybe_ I'll let you in…" The woman leaned back with a huff, still not looking overly pleased with the situation at hand.

The twins' riddle hadn't been all that complicated, despite their pride in it: 'From the ultimate decider I appear, offering my services only to the brave of heart.' He didn't want to tell them how simple it was right away, for fear of them changing it to something so convoluted and nonsensical that Merlin himself couldn't have solved it.

From the ultimate decider: The Sorting Hat, of course. And, as far as Atlas knew, only one artifact had ever been pulled from the hat.

"The Sword of Gryffindor," said Atlas, before holding his breath, waiting for the Fat Lady's jurisdiction. She looked surprised at first, and then furrowed her brow.

"W-well, I…Hmph! I suppose I can let you in…" Atlas breathed a sigh of relief at her words, "But if I hear you've been up to anything in there, I'll have your head! You hear me?"

"Y-yes, ma'am! Thank you so much!" The painting swung out on its hinges, revealing the entrance to the common room. Atlas quickly stepped inside, before the Fat Lady could change her mind…

And stopped dead in his tracks.

On one of the overstuffed scarlet sofas, leafing through a Runes textbook, sat the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Atlas had seen beautiful women before, sure, but this was a whole new plane of beauty, something he couldn't have even dreamed, despite his expansive imagination. Her green eyes flicked back and forth, browsing over the pages of her book. Her hair hung in soft brown waves, framing her pale, freckled face, one of the cheeks of which was propped up against a tiny, delicate hand. It was as if light from heaven itself had been manifested on earth in a human form, the radiance from just being in her presence piercing every corner of his soul. Atlas felt an odd mixture of emotions welling up inside of him; jubilance and terror, shock and awe.

And to think, all in the space of a single moment!

Quickly sensing his presence, the girl's head snapped up and turned sharply to peer at Atlas. Her eyes dug into his skin, threatening to cut him to pieces and leave him to bleed out on the common room floor. He wasn't even sure if he would have minded if it meant that someone so inexplicably gorgeous could possibly take notice of someone so un-extraordinary.

As much as he tried, Atlas couldn't speak for the life of him. Where there should have been a 'Hello, I promise I'm not up to anything!' there was a string of unintelligible sputtering that couldn't even begin to resemble words. The girl, unsurprisingly, was not amused.

"Oi!" she shouted, getting up from the sofa, "What are you doing in here?"

"I-I, well, I, you see, I, um-"

"And who are you, anyway? I've never seen you before…"

"A-A-Atlas…m-my name is Atlas Argall."

She walked over, leaving only a few inches between them, and scanned over him. She looked confused, but whether it was caused by her trying to remember if she'd ever seen him or deciding whether or not to annihilate him was impossible to tell.

She took a step back and stuck out her hand, "Devvy McCabe," she said, a smirk growing on her face, "Pleasure to meet you."

Atlas cautiously shook her hand, encasing it in his own. He could barely breathe, but managed to squeak out a feeble "Likewise."


	4. Chapter 4

Devvy began to drift back to the sofa. "So," she said, "What exactly _are_ you doing in here? Because I know you're not a Gryffindor, and I don't think anyone would be stupid enough to just flat-out give the password to a student from another House."

Atlas slowly followed her, shyly taking a seat as far from her as possible. "Well, I, um…" He sputtered, before taking a deep breath, "I'm here to help some of my friends with their essays. They gave me a riddle to figure out the password. Wasn't...wasn't actually all that difficult, but I didn't have the heart to tell them." Surprisingly, he found himself cracking a smile. "They're probably expecting to find me flustered at the door when they come back from dinner, really."

She smiled as well, and the sight practically melted what was left of Atlas's working brain cells. He thought he was in some sort of elaborate dream; that he'd soon wake up in his dormitory, his memories of the beautiful girl in front of him drifting away before he could catch them. He wasn't quite sure whether or not he wanted it to be a dream, anyway. All he knew was that he was very confused.

"Is it much different than this?" Devvy asked, "The Ravenclaw common room, what's it like?" Atlas, for a moment, wondered how she could have known he was a Ravenclaw without him telling her, before he realized that almost all of his clothing was blue.

"Um, well, the colours are obviously different. Blue and bronze, y'know. But…it's not quite as warm as this one. It's a bit more…light, and open. And there are just books, tons of them," He said, with a sweeping gesture, "absolutely everywhere. As far as the eye can see. No one could ever complain that they haven't got anything to read, because I don't believe for a minute that anyone could read all of them in just seven years here. Maybe not even in a lifetime, if I'm honest."

Devvy listened intently, resting her head on one of her hands, peering up at him with curiosity and wonder. "B-but," he stuttered, "I'm probably just boring you now, aren't I?" He could feel his cheeks turning pink.

"No, no, it's interesting! I swear!" She said, lifting her head up, pushing some of her hair from her face. "After a few years here, you've explored just about everything that's open to you. It's just…really nice to hear about the things I can't see. It's like an adventure without all of the walking and sneaking about."

He looked over at her, their eyes locking for a moment. Atlas didn't know what to say, which wasn't much of a surprise, to say the least. He'd never really explored Hogwarts, never gone down the secret tunnels and corridors that he'd read about. He'd spent all of his years thus far just reading about all of the adventures that he could be having, while Devvy had gone out and experienced them for herself.

"You know," She said, "for being a non-Gryffindor who could just be lying to me and could really have just sneaked in here to wreak havoc, I'm being far too nice to you."

"I-I know," Atlas said, "Um…thanks for that, by the way. The…the not cursing me five ways to Sunday bit. Really appreciate that."

She smiled mischievously, "Well, let's just say you owe me one, then. Deal?"

Atlas was about to respond when the door swung open to reveal two worried looking boys. Robin and Carol must have begun to panic when their friend wasn't waiting outside the common room for them like they'd expected. They spotted him on the sofa, smiles immediately spreading across their faces.

"How the bloody hell did you get in here! We thought that riddle would have you for at least an hour!" Robin said, he and his brother quickly making their way over to Atlas.

"Oh, just lucky, I guess." He said. The twins were about to sit down when they noticed Devvy on the other end of the couch, laughing softly to herself.

"Well, what do we have here? If it isn't Miss Devvy Rose! Trying to capture another heart with that Irish charm of yours, eh?"

"Oi! Watch it!" she said, at first looking a bit offended, but then letting a smirk cross her face.

"Oh, don't play that game with us, Rosie," Carol said, placing a hand on Atlas's shoulder, "We know Atlas is a fine gentleman, but we're going to need him fully intact tonight if we want to finish our Potions assignment, thank you very much." The twins both smiled, while Atlas could only look very confused, as he usually did around them.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, I was just heading up to my dorm, don't you worry." Devvy still held her smirk as she got up and sashayed overdramatically towards the stairs. She turned for a moment before going up to look back at Atlas. He smiled feebly at her, to which she responded with a tiny laugh and a short wave. And then she was gone.

"Alright, let's get down to business!" Robin said, turning everyone's attention inward to work on their essays. Although he seemed clear-headed enough, Atlas couldn't get that girl out of his head, and couldn't really decide whether or not that was such a bad thing.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning was a stark contrast from the previous day. Rain pounded against the school's ancient stone walls and the sky was painted a dismal grey. The Quartet walked off to their classes, chattering jokingly about nothing in particular, before Thomas had to split from the group to go to his next class. Atlas and the twins had their next class, Divination, together, and so they continued their trek up to one of Hogwarts's stoic towers where the class was held. On their way up, the twins sensed that something was amiss.

"Hey, Trip," Robin asked, "You okay? You seem…"

"Quiet," Carol said. And, together, the boys chimed, "Too quiet."

Atlas shook his head, "I'm fine, just…distracted. I mean, I guess."

The twins looked skeptically at each other, then back at Atlas. "Distracted by what?" Carol asked.

"N-nothing. It's nothing." He avoided their gaze. "So, uh…that…that girl, from last night. Are you all friends? Or something…?"

A twinkle sparked in Robin's eye, "Oh…Oh,_ no way_." He looked over at Carol, who had a similarly mischievous look on his face.

"I know," Carol said, "I can't believe…_bloody hell!_"

"W-what? What's going on?" Atlas inquired worriedly, "What are you guys-?"

"You've got a crush on Rosie!" The twins whispered, quietly laughing, not wanting to draw any suspicion.

Atlas blushed, but tried to conceal it by itching at his face. "I don't! I'm just- I mean…" He sighed. Despite not wanting to give into stereotypes, "I'm a Ravenclaw, and we're inquisitive! I'm just curious, that's all. Nothing…nothing more to it."

The twins didn't seem to buy the act, but shrugged off their previous suspicions anyway. "Fine, whatever you say, Trip." Carol said.

"So, what exactly are you inquiring about, anyway?" Robin asked.

"Just, y'know, are you guys friends?...And why do you keep calling her Rosie? That-that isn't her name, if you were wondering."

"Yeah, we know," Robin smiled, "Rose is her middle name. We just call her that to get her a little riled up. I guess you could say that we're friends…"

"More like acquaintances," Carol added, "Just with more joking around, yeah?"

Atlas nodded as the boys walked into class. Professor Trelawney was getting on in years, so a few students had shown up early to help her set up for class. Tea cups were set in groups of four on every table. They'd studied tea leaf reading last year, but Trelawney's mind had never been in the right place to begin with, and time certainly hadn't been kind to her, so none of the students mentioned it.

The boys sat down at a table as the rest of the students filed in. Atlas spotted Devvy immediately as she walked in with a small cluster of other Gryffindor girls. He wondered how he'd never noticed her before, seeing as he couldn't help from noticing her now. She was just as gorgeous as she'd been last night, disproving any of Atlas's theories that their encounter might have been a dream. She spotted him right away, too, a small smile growing on her face. Atlas looked down at his lap, not wanting to meet her eye.

Atlas heard the remaining chair at their table shuffle, moving out from the table itself.

"D'you mind?" He could practically hear the bright smirk in her voice as she spoke.

"You know there's always room in the inn for you, Miss Rosie." Robin replied. Atlas could see the twin's face in his mind's eye as he heard him speak, the mock-flirtatious look of a jokester, as he was.

He felt a soft kick on his ankle coming from Devvy's direction and looked up. She was innocently looking around the room, but a grin slowly eased across her face. He was just a bit shaken from even being in her presence, but managed to listen as Trelawney started the lesson.

Even though she was shaky on her feet and had to use a cane to prevent herself from toppling over, Trelawney insisted on walking around the classroom as she lectured the students on the mystical properties of tea leaves and their magnificent ability to predict the future, with sensationally accurate results. She, unlike a majority of the students seemed extremely eager to delve into the hands-on portion of the lesson. Of course, being that she was always a bit rickety and had long ago lost the mental capacity to conceal even the tiniest of her emotions, she always seemed to be excited about something.

The students began sipping at their tea. Most of them took gentle sips, as Trelawney was very specific on which method of tea consumption would produce the clearest predictions. Some students, however, either hadn't been listening or were extremely over-eager to begin their readings, because their tea was gone within moments (Along with a large portion of their leaves. Embarrassed, they discreetly poured themselves a new cup and took much greater care the second time around).

Atlas, Devvy and the twins all finished their tea around the same time, leaving curiously shaped lumps in the bottoms of their cups.

"Hmm," Robin stared down into his cup. The largest clump appeared to have a triangular head with a thin, almost handle-like extremity. "What d'you think that is?"

"Uhh," Atlas flipped through his book, and the twins quickly followed suit. He felt another gentle nudge on his ankle. Devvy's face showed a child-like innocence, once again, despite her pleased smirk.

Was…was she flirting with him! Atlas tried to expel the thought from his mind as quickly as possible as his cheeks began to turn pink. It couldn't be, could it? Sneaking a look back over at her, he could see that she was softly giggling to herself, probably amused with his flustered response. Atlas shook the thought away as the Carol's face lit up.

"Here! A Bricklayer's Trowel signifies a presented task being successfully completed."

Robin smiled, "Cool! What's yours?"

Carol peered into his cup. A large figure lurked along the rim. "It kind of looks like a dog…"

"What did you say!" Professor Trelawney, who was only a few feet away, quickly hobbled over to their table and took Carol's cup. The dog which he had spotted had a thin tail and slouching, flappy-looking ears. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, never mind then," She handed the cup back to Carol. "However, the dog symbolizes dishonesty in someone close to you-"

"Um, it says in the book that a dog symbolizes a loyal friend, though." Carol said, reading from a page in his textbook.

"Oh, well," Trelawney began to circle around the table "It must be a misprint, then."

The twins rolled their eyes at each other as Atlas examined his own cup. The picture, unlike Robin's or Carol's, was shockingly clear. Though he wasn't sure what the exact interpretation was, he figured that nothing bad could come from-

"Ohh, an angel!" Trelawney gingerly took Devvy's cup. Atlas looked down at his own, stunned. The winged figure he saw was almost identical to the one the professor was showing around. "Angels signify great joy. Oh, and a tremendous love coming your way." She handed the cup back to a smiling Devvy, both of the twins looking in their books for a paragraph on angels and both nodding their heads to Trelawney when she glared at them, almost daring them to challenge her readings again.

Atlas's heart rate was picking up as Trelawney stepped towards him. He quickly shook his cup, shifting the leaf clumps into a new position before she could peer inside.

"Hmm…I'm not quite sure what this is..." She said, quizzically looking at the lumpy formation: a bumpy, rectangular shape with swirls of tiny leaves being emitted from what could be perceived as the top.

"It sort of looks like a smoking chimney." Carol said. Robin pulled his brother's book across the table to look at the picture.

"Yeah, it does," He said, "A smoking chimney signifies…contentedness with your life and the simple path it is taking." He looked up at Atlas, "Basically, nothing exciting is ever gonna happen to you."

Atlas shook his head, sighing, "That sounds fine by me."

Trelawney looked a bit disappointed, and walked with slightly teetering steps to the next table. Atlas looked over at Devvy, who looked pleased as she continued to stare down into her own cup. She looked up and locked eyes with him, a small smile forming on her face. He quickly looked away. Thankfully, class was over in a matter of minutes. Atlas and the twins said goodbye and went to their next classes.


	6. Chapter 6

As the day wore on, the rain let up, but only slightly. The sky was still a deep shade of grey and the clouds refused to budge, blocking out the sun entirely. The rest of the day was uneventful, even though Atlas couldn't get Devvy's coy smile out of his head. He tried his best to pay attention to his studies, but the more he tried to deny his thoughts of her, the stronger they became. It was as if she was controlling his mind, hypnotizing him. He just couldn't stop thinking about her, and the thought that a person, just an average human being, could do this to him was shocking, almost terrifying.

Robin and Carol asked Atlas to come back to the Gryffindor commons that evening after dinner. Their essays were near completion now. Another night or two with Atlas's help, and they were guaranteed at least a B+. Needless to the say, the twins were elated.

Despite promising that they'd be done with their meals soon enough that they'd go with Atlas up to the common room, they were once again too entranced by the food in front of them to see him waving at them from the doors of the Great Hall. He didn't want to go up to them and draw too much attention, so he made the trek alone. The Fat Lady was awake and sitting upright when Atlas approached her this time.

"Oh, don't tell me," she said as she saw him, "you want access again?"

"I really don't mean to disturb you, ma'am, but I really do need to get in there." He tried to look as innocent as possible. He knew he wasn't doing anything wrong, but he didn't think that that would matter to her.

"Well, what exactly are you getting up to in there? Why do you need to be in there two nights in a row, bird-boy?"

Atlas found it hard to believe, but the Fat Lady was being even less pleasant than she was the night before. He was about to respond when he heard quick, quiet footsteps coming up the hall.

"Oh, hi there, Atlas!" Devvy rushed up to him, lacing her hand in his. He looked over at her, horror and surprise etched across his face. What was she doing! She gave him a short glance that read 'just trust me' before looking up at the Fat Lady.

"Good evening, miss. Think you could let us in?"

The Fat Lady was taken aback, "You- you KNOW this boy!"

"Yeah, he's my, um…special friend." Devvy gave Atlas a loving look, edging a little bit closer to him, before looking back up at the woman draped in pink. A look of understanding crossed the Fat Lady's face, though she still seemed reluctant to let them both into the common room.

"Well, I- I don't-," She sighed and gave her head a gentle shake, Devvy's pleading eyes seemingly boring into her very soul. "What's the password?"

"The Sword of Gryffindor," the two children said in unison. If Atlas's face hadn't been beet-red before, it certainly was now. The portrait swung open, and he and Devvy stepped inside together.

"Wh-why couldn't you have just told her that I'm helping the twins?" Atlas stuttered as the door closed behind him.

"Oh, she hates them," Devvy said as she walked over to one of the scarlet sofas, "When we were first-years, they accidentally ripped her dress while they were experimenting with feeding Fizzing Whizbees to chocolate frogs. Let's just say it didn't end well and she hasn't forgiven them since."

Atlas gingerly took a seat about a foot away from the emerald-eyed girl. It didn't matter how many times he saw her, or how many times her image seeped into his brain, but even his most vivid memories of her were never as beautiful as the real thing.

"Well, uh…thanks, then," He stammered, "for helping me out. She…she was about to turn me away."

"Don't mention it," She said, a sly smile spreading across her face, "but this means that you still owe me one."

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry. I- I haven't forgotten." He held her gaze for a moment, and did his best to smile at her. Suddenly, the portrait swung open again.

"Y'know what the problem is, Trip?" Robin said, pointing a finger at Atlas, who had whipped his head around to look at the twins, "You eat too bloody fast! " Carol was a few steps behind him, laughing at his brother. When Atlas turned back around to face Devvy, she'd already begun to ascend the steps to the girls' dormitory. She looked back at him with a smile and waved before disappearing from sight.

Atlas let out a small sigh as the boys set their books down on the table. Carol looked over at him, "You really do have a thing for her, don't you?"

"I don't…I don't 'have a thing' for anyone. I just…" Atlas rubbed his forehead, "It's nothing. Honest."

Robin rolled his eyes, "Oh, come off it, mate. Don't play the tough guy here," He smiled, "because that's my job."

"Is it…is it that obvious?" Atlas stammered, looking up at the twins.

"Well, I wouldn't say it isn't," Carol said as he sat down, "but it's not as if anyone's paying attention."

"Besides," Robin took a seat to the other side of him, "it's not like she doesn't feel the same way."

"What are you talking about?" Atlas looked over at him, puzzled.

"Oh, don't tell us you don't see the way she looks at you, Trip," Carol smiled, "If she doesn't have feelings for you, then my name's Abraham Lincoln."

Robin looked over at his brother, "Who the bloody hell is that?"

Carol shrugged, "Dunno. I heard someone talking about him last summer when we visited Thomas. He sounded like a right nice bloke, though."

Slowly, the boys took to the task of finishing their Potions essays, even though Atlas couldn't have paid attention if his life depended on it.

He didn't know what exactly was going on here, but he did know one thing: He was extremely confused.


End file.
